There have been a number of high-profile crashes involving Tesla Autopilot in 2018, caused by drivers overestimating the semi-autonomous assistance system's capabilities.
We know leaning heavily on Level Two automation is risky, but exactly how risky is tough to quantify. A team of Australian researchers is trying to do just that, however, as part of a study into driver attention and semi-autonomous vehicles...

Tesla customers have driven over 1.2 billion miles (1.9b kilometre) with the company's semi-autonomous Autopilot systems engaged, a new report says.
First covered by Electrek, a team from MIT Human-Centered AI has produced (and is still updating a report) estimating the distance covered by Tesla vehicles operating with Autopilot turned on...

Elon Musk has taken to Twitter promising some 'full self-driving features' will be rolled out as part of an August update for Tesla's Autopilot driver assist system.
At the moment, Autopilot is limited to Level 2 automation. Although stories about Tesla 'drivers' sleeping and sitting in the passenger seat – and, unfortunately, crashing while reliant on the system – abound, Autopilot is only meant to operate under constant driver supervision...

A preliminary report from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says Autopilot may have steered toward the dividing barrier on US Highway 101 before a fatal accident involving a Tesla Model X earlier this year.
It's worth mentioning up front, the investigation isn't complete, and the NTSB hasn't nailed down a probably cause for the crash...

Joining Mandy Turner this week are Mike Stevens and Scott Collie.
In car news, the Mazda CX-3 launches in Japan with a new 1.8-litre diesel, while the CX-8 goes on sale locally in July.
Another 1.1-million vehicles have been added to the Takata airbag recall, Ford launches '2nd Car' for Australian buyers, and California begins a digital number plates trial...

Two groups, The Center for Auto Safety and Consumer Watchdog, have called on the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the Tesla Autopilot system.
The two organisations claim Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have deliberately misled and deceived "consumers into believing that Autopilot is safer and more capable than it is known to be", and have "made it reasonable for Tesla owners to believe, and act on that belief, that a Tesla with Autopilot is an autonomous vehicle capable of 'self-driving'"...

Another Tesla Model S has been involved in an accident with Autopilot engaged, raising more questions about how humans interact with semi-autonomous driver assist systems.
Police say the car smashed into a stationary firetruck at around 100km/h, leaving the driver with a broken right ankle. The airbags in the car fired, while no-one from the firetruck was injured...

Bhavesh Patel, 39, from Nottingham, UK, has been banned from driving for 18 months for dangerous driving, after he abandoned the driver's seat while the Autopilot feature of his Tesla Model S was switched on.
At around 7.40pm on May 21, 2017, Patel switched on the Autopilot assisted driving feature as he was heading down the M1 motorway...

The director of autonomous integration at General Motors says claims by Tesla of its cars being able to conduct full level five SAE-certified autonomous driving are entirely false.
Speaking to the Australian media in Detroit today, Scott Miller, GM's director of autonomous vehicle integration, said Elon Musk is "full of crap" when it comes to claims of the level five capability of current and upcoming Tesla vehicles...

The United States' National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final findings on the fatal crash involving a Tesla Model S operating in semi-autonomous Autopilot mode.
The crash occurred in Florida in May 2016, when Joshua Brown's Tesla Model S collided with the underside of a tractor-trailer as the truck turned onto the non-controlled access highway...

We bring you another podcast from the Melbourne CarAdvice couch, with Mandy, Mike Costello and James Ward.
In cars news this week, the Ford Mustang receives a 2-star safety rating, Mitsubishi previews new compact SUV and 2017 Subaru XV is teased ahead of Geneva motor show, 2017 Tickford Ford Mustang GT and EcoBoost warranty-backed power upgrades are unleashed by Tickford, new hero Lambo will top the Aventador SV’s Nurburgring time, Tesla rolls out Enhanced Autopilot and Apple are sued for not ‘locking out’ iPhones while driving...

Tesla has rolled out its second-generation of Autopilot hardware - with the option of full self-driving capability - while adding the Model S 100D and Model X 100D to its line-up, providing the longest driving ranges in their respective model families...

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) has ruled in favour of electric carmaker Tesla, in an investigation into a fatal crash last year involving a Model S in semi-autonomous Autopilot mode.
In May 2016, a man in the US was killed when his Tesla Model S collided with a tractor trailer at an intersection on a non-controlled access highway...

Tesla chief Elon Musk is often referred to, somewhat romantically and surely a little tongue-in-cheek, as the real world's Tony Stark - better known as the Marvel Comics superhero, Iron Man.
Musk may not fly around in a repulsor-packed power suit, but he does make his millions and his name on blue-sky thinking. He does push himself and his people to explore and exploit new ideas...

Tesla chief Elon Musk says that by the end of 2017, all new models will have the capability - if not the legal freedom - to travel the breadth of the continental United States without human input.
Musk's ambitious comments come as part of an announcement today that all Tesla vehicles now rolling out of the company's factory in Fremont, California, are equipped with sensors and processing capabilities far superior to those feature in existing Teslas...

All Tesla electric vehicles being produced from now will come with the company’s new-generation full self-driving hardware, dubbed simply "Hardware 2", hastening the commercial rollout of autonomous cars. But, as we’ll reveal further down the story, there’s a small snag for prospective buyers to consider...

An investigation by the German government into the Tesla Autopilot system has reportedly concluded that the assisted driving setup is a 'considerable traffic hazard'.
According to Heise Online, Der Spiegel has seen a copy of a report compiled by Germany's Federal Transport Ministry, which notes several dangerous characteristics of the system...

Tesla's Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system recently received a pretty significant software update, and one of its new features makes sure you don’t get complacent behind the wheel - like an angry parent.
Demonstrated in the above video, Autopilot Version 8...

Update - Tesla's local arm has confirmed the rollout of the Version 8.0 software in Australia over the coming weeks. See bottom of article for more details.
Tesla has announced a Version 8.0 software update, which for its Autopilot driver-assistance system, switches the car’s primary sensor to radar technology as opposed to the camera and image processing system...